Yesterday I did some paperwork. I fell through the donut hole today: $404 for one medication. I’m quite tired, because I missed a sleep cycle to cover the Republican debates. It was a slow day for news, because the media was focused on what I reported yesterday morning. I’m current with replies. Today I have more paperwork and errands.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 4:21 (average 4:49). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Christian Science Monitor: In an apparent rebuke to his hard-line politics, Arizona state Senate President Russell Pearce was recalled by voters Tuesday. Senator Pearce was the author of the state’s tough anti-illegal immigration law that has spawned copycat laws in several states from Utah to Alabama.
Senator Pearce’s crusade against illegal immigration made him a national icon but ultimately factored into his historic recall.
His defeat, at the hands of political novice Jerry Lewis, puts a different face on Arizona and signals that voters are ready to take state politics in a new direction, says Bruce Merrill, a political scientist and professor emeritus at Arizona State University in Tempe.
Good riddance to bad rubbish! I bet the Arizona Death Angel, Jan Brewer, famous for killing patients by cancelling their Medicaid, is infuriated at the loss of her chief ally.
From Think Progress: A new Commonwealth survey finds that the United States leads wealthy nations in the number of adults who can’t afford health care services and end up skipping care altogether. Forty-two percent of Americans with health issues chose to go without care, the survey found, compared to a range of 1 to 14 percent of adults in 10 other countries. Also, more than a quarter said they could not or had difficulty paying their medical debt.
The only thing that separates us from them is the Republican Party’s protection of Big Insurance.
From Christian Science Monitor: Ok. Sarcasm may be the lowest form of wit, but it feels like the appropriate tone for addressing the "hot mic" moment in Paris the other day, when French President Nicolas Sarkozy told President Obama that he "can’t stand" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that "he’s a liar."
The two men thought they were having a private chat ahead of a public conference, unaware that the microphones in front of them were already on. Mr. Obama appeared to share some of Mr. Sarkozy’s frustration with the Israeli leader, reportedly saying "you’re fed up with him, but I have to work with him every day." [emphasis added]
While it is a diplomatic embarrassment, it does show that both Obama and Sarkozy live in the real world in a refreshingly humorous way.
Cartoon:
3 Responses to “Open Thread–11/10/2011”
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Cartoon — The other day I said the Abe Lincoln was probably rolling in his grave. I guess I have to amend that — he’s keeping his eyes shut so he doesn’t have to witness the self destruction of the GOP.
Israel — It’ll be interesting to see how this little gaff translates into Netanyahu’s actions. He was already stamping his feet like a petulant child over the UNESCO recognition of Palestine. But I guess tit for tat since Netanyahu will be speaking at Awakening 2012. If he’s on the same page as these poisonous shrubs, it would be just as well that Israel goes it alone.
Arizona — Good on them for seeing the light and dumping Pearce, and with a rookie no less! Maybe Bonzai Brewer will be next! Just goes to show the truth in the old adage: You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.
Health Insurance — When you consider the US’s place in the world, to have so many people without health insurance is criminal. The healthcare debate has been going on for years and years. When Canada was debating what amounted to a 2 tier system, I remember Ralph Nader wading into the frey saying “Don’t do it.”. We didn’t do it. The US was talking about it then and is still talking about it now. How many people have to die before that changes?
3:41
Good for the people of Arizona. Now there are a bunch more they have to get rid of starting with “Just let ’em die” Brewer.
Great cartoon!
I can’t believe that it has been since 11/2 that I completed a puzzle. Anyway, I have done them up through this posting (11/10). That’s eight puzzles in which I won 3 and lost 5. I am 102 out of 314 (325). Here are the individual times.
11/3 3:34 win
11/4 7:42 (exceptionally hard one) loss
11/5 5:10 loss
11/6 4:21 loss
11/7 4:01 loss
11/8 3:47 loss
11/9 3: 40 win
11/10 3:58 win
Get well soon, TomCat!